A Gold-Medal Heart

Meet Keesja Gofers—Olympic athlete, mother, national treasure

Last winter, after six weeks postpartum, Australian water poloist Keesja Gofers was medically cleared to return to training. This winter, she and her team are competing at the Paris Olympics.

In a moment of free time between rigorous training, Keesja tells us about the joys of motherhood, returning to elite sport, and how her daughter motivates her to challenge her limits.

After the Tokyo Olympics, Keesja knew she wasn’t ready to retire from competing, but motherhood complicated things. “Coming back to elite sports as a mum is so much more than the physical,” Keesja reveals.

“There are the unknowns of parenthood, the rollercoaster of emotions heightened by a lack of sleep, the logistics of aligning babysitting and breastfeeding with our training schedule, plus the fact that I had to cut out dairy and soy from my diet for the first ten months of breastfeeding to help with my daughter’s allergies, which didn’t leave many meals options post training and games.”

On the other hand, the joys and discoveries of motherhood also energised and motivated her through difficult moments. “There’s also the supreme joy of getting to know my daughter,” Keesja reflects. “Each day, I watch T try something—like crawling or walking—and fail and try and fail again. I brought this attitude into my training: well if she’s trying to do that, I can also push myself that bit harder.”

Although returning postpartum has been the most challenging feat of her water polo career, Keesja cares deeply about affirming a woman’s choice to pursue her dreams and be a mother.

“I’ve persevered through numerous setbacks and obstacles because I want other female athletes to know motherhood doesn’t have to mean the end of their athletic careers and to be a role model for my daughter,” she tells us.

Certainly, support from friends and family has been critical. Among the myriad of aid from her mother, sister, husband’s parents, coaches, medical staff, women’s health physicians, and more, her husband has been her most avid supporter.

This time is no exception. Keesja’s husband flew to Paris with their daughter to spend Bastille Day together during a three-day respite before a week of intensive training with the French national team, followed by two full weeks of competition. “These three days, I will be soaking up my time with them as much as humanly possible,” she declares.

Fortunately, among the amazing efforts organisations are making to support parent athletes, Paris has added an Olympic nursery with a guest room for infants and parents where she can see her daughter during allocated times.

For other women athletes who are or want to become mums, Keesja offers this advice: “Take it day by day. Even before becoming a mum, this is the best advice I can give. Elite sports can be demanding and stressful, and every day isn’t going to be all good. Just like motherhood can be unpredictable and exhausting and every day isn't going to be all good.

But for both motherhood and sport, you have to be able to find the good every day. Being a mumathlete gave extra purpose to my training because being there meant I wasn't with my daughter, so what I was doing had to be purposeful and not a waste of time.”

Merci beaucoup, Keesja, for sharing your inspirational story with us during this momentous time. We’ll be cheering for you from home!

A bien tôt!